Profile Progress- Month 9

We're coming down the home stretch! We hit the 36-week mark today -- hard to believe how soon the little guy is coming. We can't wait to meet him, but we still have a lot to do to prepare. We've been taking care of a lot of things over the past few weeks.  The baby book has been started, baby things have all been through the wash, the car seat is installed, we chose a pediatrician, and the house is approaching clean and organized.  Julian even came home from work with blue hydrangeas at the T-1 month mark.

First, Lindsay's "Woodlands family"- the assisted living where she sees patients- threw her a shower. The baby got a lot of very cute outfits! They had been planning this for weeks and none of them let on about it!

This sailor outfit is from Lazarus; very stylish

 Next came Passover. The baby got to hear the Four Questions to prepare for next year.

He got an afikomen prize!

 We've been doing a lot more work on the nursery. We got some cool artwork via etsy within our "vintage amusement park" theme; add some framing, and things are getting there!

 And, of course, the profile pic. Al fresco this time since it's finally getting nice out!

What a weekend! We started with Judy and Roy coming into town to celebrate birthdays (Lauren, Roy, Lisa) and to come to the baby shower. From there the weekend kicked off with some delicious salt-domed branzini made by Lauren (with the rest of us adding goofiness).

Julian taught Sinatra a new trick!

Celebrating Roy and Lauren's birthdays with a home-made carrot cake, complete with home-made marzipan carrots!

Then came the baby shower, complete with a cake that was definitely not a wreck.

Childhood friends

And finally, after weeks of preparation and secrecy, it was time for Lisa's big surprise __th birthday party!

Blueberry-and-cream cupcakes

"After Eight" mint chocolate cupcakes

She was very surprised and happy to see everyone there.

Congratulating each other on a job well done

What a busy weekend! Only a few short weeks to go until the baby arrives -- we'll keep you posted!

Profile Progress- Month 8

32 weeks down and only a short while left to go before we meet the baby!  

In the meantime, we've welcomed another new family member -- Lauren's new kitty, Sinatra! We threw her a "kitty shower" to celebrate his homecoming.

Lauren opening her kitty gifts

Alton was very interested in the gifts

Ol' Blue Eyes

He liked the gifts too!

We kept ourselves well fed with Liege waffles for International Waffle Day, complete with Spekuloos Spread!

We've been very grateful for how well the pregnancy has been going.  Aside from some nagging heartburn, an overabundance of advice and commentary from strangers, and feeling wiped out by 10pm, things are great.  He kicks all the time- especially in the car, in the evenings on the couch (he likes Dancing with the Stars and Good Eats), and after "eating" anything sweet.  The Braxton-Hicks contractions started last week, which is a new experience.  We have been starting to educate ourselves about that whole thing that happens in between pregnancy and parenthood, including a class on the matter beginning next week.  Lindsay has been keeping up with tap class, prenatal yoga, and seeing patients full-time, and we both make the weekly Monday rounds at Whole Foods beer tastings with Lauren; Lindsay is on extended DD duty.  Grandpa-to-be read the baby his first book a few weeks ago and melted our hearts.  Julian is getting very excited to be new daddy soon!

Profile Progress- Month 7, and the nursery

The pregnancy is going great, and we're having a wonderful time getting ready for Baby Goodman's arrival!  Last weekend, Julian's parents came to town and my parents joined us as well to make the big transition from guest room to nursery.  We've moved the bedroom furniture over to Lauren's, painted, and got most of the big things in place, so now we're picking artwork and thinking through the details.  It was lots of fun looking through childhood books and furniture and getting ready to bring them all back to life.

Before...

So thankful for Dad's professional painting job

Helping out with curtain rod hardware

Julian hard at work

So happy Mom got the curtains perfectly trimmed up just right

Just days after the nursery was set up, the crib arrived! Julian doing what he does best: reading and following directions.

Alton followed along in the directions to make sure it was being done to specifications

Coming along...

Tightening the bolts

Alton posing it in front of the finished product

Kitty kisses

Lindsay's childhood bedroom furniture and the changing table her dad made circa 1985

The crib you watched us assemble, the bent wood rocker from the Bendler house,  nightstand from Lindsay's childhood, a few new baskets, and the curtains Judy worked on

And drumroll...you can finally see one heck of a baby bump!  He's in there, kicking away everyday!

28 weeks...and Alton and Olive jumping in the shot

Profile Progress- Month 6, and the Babymoon

We can't believe it's already been 6 months!  Baby prep is starting to swing into gear.  We are starting to get an idea about the name (not telling - sorry).

We (mostly a Lindsay project) have picked a "vintage amusement park" theme for the nursery, with muted primaries, visions of little boys and girls on ferris wheels and roller coasters and carnival candy.  A fair number of things have been gathered, but nothing actually set up just yet.  We will hopefully head out looking at cribs soon.

A few weekends ago, our courageous friends Pam and Cara, both mothers themselves, accompanied us on our very first trip to Babies "R" Us and helped us get the lay of the land while Julian zapped things with a scanner.  It was extremely helpful having their guidance and gave us a good start towards understanding all the little things this little guy will need once he gets here.

Pam, Cara, and Cara's son Garrett

Last week we took a "babymoon," a relaxing vacation best taken before arrival of the baby. Also, it was nice to get out of the snow and ice for a week. We stayed on the northernmost tip of Captiva Island, which is north of Sanibel, which is across a 3-mile bridge from the Fort Myers area.  We read on the beach, looked at wildlife, saw a movie (to escape a torrential Florida thunderstorm), ate, and relaxed.

J.N. "Ding" Darling Wildlife Refuge 

And because it wouldn't be an official profile update without a profile pic:

Daddy-to-be

Mommy-to-be and the bump

It's a Boy!!

The ultrasound went great!  The sonographer went through all the baby's major bones, organs, blood flow in and out of the heart, brain, umbilical cord, his cute little profile, and of course the defining picture that told us yes, as we suspected, it's a boy!  She said everything looked healthy, which is the best news!  He wiggled around the entire time, yawning, hiccuping, bringing his hand to his head, brining his knee to his head for the matter (which Julian then demonstrated he could do too)  and it was so fun to see what it looked like when I felt the kicks.  When she first told us the baby is a boy, my first image was Julian in the kitchen with him, both clad in aprons, with Julian teaching the ways of assembling a mirepoix, adequately seasoning a dish, and getting a good sear.  Of course that's a long way off, but don't tell Julian.

Cute profile

Waving "hi" with all 5 fingers

And showing off all 5 toes

And we hope it doesn't offend anyone to show the picture evidence... it's a boy.  If you get lost, we are looking up, and the sonographer put the cursor pointing towards "the proof."

Profile Progress- Month 5

Made it to 20 weeks- a big week! We're having the anatomy scan ultrasound done tomorrow and the baby will hopefully reveal to us the answer to the big question...girl or boy?  Last chance to take a guess!!  I can't wait a minute longer!

Here's an update on the bump.  Not too too much to show for 5 months of baby growing, but just enough that about 80% of my wardrobe is temporarily retired- kinda like Favre, minus the scandal.  The baby is supposedly the length of a banana or the size of a cantaloupe depending on which source you ask.